"Map effect": Geographic information systems as part of the strategy to reduce inequities in access to abortion in the Province of Buenos Aires

Abstract

The aim of this article is to present how the maps of the abortion network of the province of Buenos Aires can be used as part of a comprehensive health strategy to reduce health inequities, and to guarantee and expand access to abortion in this territory. 

In 2020, with the enactment of National Law N° 27,610 which regulates access to voluntary termination of pregnancy, a historic milestone in the expansion of rights of people with gestational capacity in our country took place. The Provincial Department of Gender Equity in Health of the Ministry of Health of the province of Buenos Aires designed a comprehensive strategy to expand access and eliminate territorial obstacles in the 135 municipalities that make up the province. In order to recover the dynamic character of health information and to put information in dialogue with the political strategy, it was decided to use maps to visualize the progress of the network and the reduction of territorial inequities, and facilitate the population's access to the Buenos Aires abortion network. Static maps show the process of network expansion, and the dynamic map democratizes access to information. During the processes of dialogue with other actors, what we call the "map effect" was produced: people in political decision-making positions wanted to be incorporated into the provincial map, health teams felt part of a collective network, and more access for people who decide to have an abortion.